(HealthDay News) -- A new study in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, supported by the U.S. National Institute on Aging, finds a connection between moderate exercise and increased cerebral blood-sugar (glucose) metabolism.

A prominent symptom of Alzheimer's and a predictor of cognitive decline in older adults has been a decrease in brain metabolism.

The University of Wisconsin study found a boost in blood sugar metabolism in the brain's hippocampus, an area that's key to learning and memory. The more time a person spent exercising, the greater the benefit, the research found.